Showing posts with label My Life. Show all posts

I found this very interesting and touching!! Planning to do something like this when i get married!! :). Happy reading!!

Priya married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party,

Priya's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook.

With Rs.1000 deposit amount.

Mother: 'Priya, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to the line. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with Hitesh. When you look back after years, you can know how much happiness you've had.'

Priya shared this with Hitesh when getting home.  They both thought it was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can be made.

This was what they did after certain time:

• 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage
  
• 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Priya
  
• 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali
  
• 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Priya got pregnant
  
• 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Hitesh got promoted ..... and so on...
  

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial things. They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the most nasty people in the world.... no more love...Kind of typical nowadays, huh?

One day Priya talked to her Mother:

'Mom, we can't stand it anymore. We agree to divorce. I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!'

Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first. Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.'

Priya thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue and planning to cancel the account.

While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home.

When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend the money before getting divorce.

The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook back to Priya. She found a new deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I notice how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much happiness you've brought me.'

They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe.

Do you know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not ask.  I believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru all the good years in their life.

"When you fall, in any way, Don't see the place where you fell, Instead see the place from where you slipped."

Life is about correcting mistakes!

Hi all,

Euro 2008 Group games are almost over. Only a few games left. But even these are turning out to be finals. For example, today's game between France and Italy. The team that wins is through to the Quarters and the other out of Euro 2008. A final before finals...!

All the details on Euro 2008 can be found in the widget below. I found this in the Euro 2008 Official Site, euro2008.uefa.com

I got this one as a forward many times over. But when I got it today, I felt some kind of attraction towards it, for the first time. May be because my appraisal for 2007-08 got over very recently! I am posting the forwarded mail here for people who haven't seen it yet!

"Self Appraisal"

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers).
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:

Boy: "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman: I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.
Boy: (with more perseverance) : "Lady, I'll even sweepyour curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you willhave the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida."
Woman: No, thank you.

With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store Owner: "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy: "No thanks,
Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one.
Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at thejob I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!"

This is what we call "Self Appraisal"

NoeL

I am just back in Nashik after a week long stay at HoMe. During my onward and return journey, I read two GeMs and was really inspired by them. They are

1. The One Minute Manager written by Dr. Ken Blanchard & Dr. Spencer Johnson
2. Who Moved My Cheese written by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Former is a real management GeM and the latter a Personal Development GeM. I am making summary for both the above books. In a couple of days' time, I will post them here for all you guys to read and enjoy.

NoeL

NB: I suggest one and all to get a copy of the book and start reading it rather than waiting for my summary. It is worth it!

Hi all,
I came to know about this yesterday. Infact, I got this mailed to my official email id by one of the seniors (top brass) in Mahindra. The letter, of which I am speaking of, is attached below.

(Click on the image to enlarge)

It says... "The supreme court has ruled that all injured persons especially in the case of road traffic accidents, assaults etc., when brought to a hospital/medical centre, have to be offered first aid, stabilized and shifted to a higher centre / government centre, if required. It is only after this that the hospital can demand payment or complete police formalities. In case you a bystander and wish to help someone in accident, please go ahead and do so. Your responsibility ends as soon as you leave the person at the hospital. The hospital bears the responsibility of informing the police, first aid etc..."

This is indeed a welcome change from the higher ups in the government. :) I hope, with many more of the likes, INDIA will be a better place to live in... sooner!!

NoeL

Let me explain it in the form of a story. This story has an OLD version and a NEW version.

I had gone to IIM Lucknow for my FPM interview and written test on April 14th - 18th 2008. Here is a detailed description on the various things that happened during the trip, things that went through my mind and details on the FPM selection process.

April 14th, 2008
I ironed my clothes, ran in search of a tie, scrambled all my (hard earned) certificates and was ready by 7.00PM… I had a train to catch at 7:45PM from Nashik Road Station, which is around 45-60min from where I stay. This time, I didn’t have my friends around to kick me out on time as usual.

In a few minutes, I was in the nearest Auto Stand. This time, I didn’t have time to bargain with anyone. So took the first Auto I saw and reached the station by around 7:50PM. Thanks to the Indian Railways for running the trains late. Else I would not have boarded the 2107 LUCKNOW SUP EXP to Lucknow.

In the train, I exchanged my seats with a lady for the Side Upper Berth… There I comfortably sat with my laptop and started reading one of my favorite books, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I was going for an interview for which, I didn’t have a chance to convert. So thought… "Why to take the trouble of preparing in the train? I will do some reading and will relax too…"

April 15th, 2008
I landed at the Lucknow Station at around 5PM, 2hrs later than the scheduled arrival. The sensation I had while coming out of the 3rd AC compartment to the scorching sunlight outside was something I won’t forget for some time.

From there, I took an auto to IIML campus after bargaining with him because this time around, I had all the time with me… My fellow college mate who is a current student at IIML had told me not to give more than Rs.120/-. Lucknow Station to IIML, auto drive was THE AUTO RIDE of my life. All the way, I was remembering the Auto stunt that was shown in one of the James Bond movies… Finally, I reached IIML campus ‘SAFELY’ for Rs.125/- (Hmm... Not bad!!) and in less than 45min (approx. 20Km through busy streets!).

After reaching the campus, I got myself registered. I was allotted Room No. 259 at ‘Chanakya’ Guest house. It was an AC double room but was being given away for single occupancy. For the next 2days, this was where I was going to be. The accommodation was good.

After freshening up, by around 6:30PM, I thought of taking a stroll through the IIML campus. Meanwhile, I had met another fellow aspirant named Prasanna and we both decided to check out the canteen and shops in campus. We had a cup of coffee and together explored more of the campus. One good thing I would like to highlight here is the behavior of the people. All were very pleasant and accommodating. Even the shopkeepers…

At around 8PM, we came back to the guesthouse for dinner. I must say, the dinner was awesome. The preparation was something very different and later on I found out that, it was the Chinese Indian style. (Is there a style like that??) The cooks were all from Assam. Delicious Yummy food!! :)

During this time, I met few more of the fellow aspirants and we all started sharing our profiles with each other. It was a reinstating feeling… As I had thought earlier, I was at the wrong place. All were with PG and 5+ years of relevant work experience. Some of them where already into research and academics and few were JRFs (Junior Research Fellow of UGC). They were surprised when I shared my profile with them. I told them that I came just because I got the call and that I am not even dreaming of converting it… and that was the fact!…

I went back to my room by around 9:30PM and resumed reading the novel. I decided to finish it in this very sitting. So read, read and read. Finally when the novel was over, it was around 2:30AM. That is when the revelation stuck me… I have a written test to attend early in the morning. Thought I will prepare something for the interview after my written test. So kept alarm for 7:30AM and slept off.

April 16th 2008
I was supposed to report at the FPM office at 9:00AM and the breakfast was ready at 8:00AM. Mr. Murphy decided to be extra active, that very day! My alarm didn’t ring. And I was peacefully sleeping till 8:30AM. Thanks to Prasanna for waking me up. Finally, I reached the FPM office by around 9:10AM (Hmm.. not bad!) after completing my daily ablutions and breakfast, as the last reporting candidate.

There after registering my attendance and filling up the travel reimbursement forms, we were directed to an exam hall. There the RAT (Research Aptitude Test) was waiting for us. After the CAT, a RAT…! Details on the RAT can be read here.

We were initially told that the selection process was for 2 days. And so, conveniently I had assumed that my interview would be on 17th April 2008. But to my surprise, my interview was scheduled right after RAT.

I had applied for Finance (My Love!) and Human Resource Management (For the Heck of it… 2 options… so clicked on HR too while applying..!). I had both the calls. The finance interview was the one right after RAT. HR interview was scheduled for a later time, same day itself. Details on my FPM interview can be read here.

After my Finance Interview, I was asked to wait in a conference room at ‘SAMADHAN’. Before I could even finalize upon whether to attend the interview or not, I was asked to move on for the same. I was thinking of meeting the FPM Administrator to tell him that I am not interested. But I couldn’t. So entered the interview board, told them what I felt… and came out in 2-3min… They wished me all the best and told me that I had a very good chance for converting the FPM in finance… (I never believed them!)

So from 16th April 2008 afternoon, it was about spending/killing time @ IIML campus. My train was at 10:00PM on 17th April 2008. I slept for the whole afternoon. In the evening, found out a place where TT and caroms could be played. There, I had a few games with the fellow FPM aspirants till dinner time…

Later on, I got my laptop connected to the institute wireless LAN… I started browsing for the rest of the day… Finally, by around 11:00PM, I decided to call it a day.

17th April 2008.
I woke up around 10:00AM after almost 12hours of sound sleep. After having breakfast, I strolled into the FPM hostel looking for some FPM student. Met this guy from Strategic Management… A very nice fellow… He explained in depth and breadth what the FPM is all about and how the classes were conducted etc… I could learn quite a lot about the program from him. I am really grateful to him for that.

Rest of my day was spent playing TT and browsing the internet. We, fellow aspirants, also had plans of roaming around Lucknow but decided against because of the extremely HOT climate… (It was approx. 40◦C and at Lucknow, they say, it can even touch 48◦C -50◦C)

At around 8:00 PM, I boarded the bus from IIML Campus (there are Govt. buses plying between the campus and the city!) and reached Lucknow station at around 9:15PM… I finally boarded the train at around 10:00PM from Lucknow Junction. I bid goodbye to Lucknow and the people there, never knowing that I was bound to come back!

My take:-
IIML campus is very well maintained and is wonderful. The architect of the campus needs a very special mention here. The whole campus is connected with Wi-Fi and they have different networks (Faculty, Students, Guest etc.) over Wi-Fi… Even the guests are able to logon to the network and use the broadband internet for free. The internet speeds were well over couple of mbps. (I could download a file of 25MB in less than 2 minute.) The people I met, professors, FPM officers, one at the accounts section and the others at the mess, canteen and the shops, where all very accommodative and well behaved. The food was amazing at the guest house though the student might not be getting the same quality. The only problem (I should mention atleast one na?) I could find there was the climate. In short, IIML is a dream campus to be in. (I haven’t seen IIM A, B and C campuses. So I am not making any comparisons with those…)

Comments are welcome...

NoeL

RAT is one of the two selection processes for FPM admission at IIMs. Here are the details of the RAT exam i had at IIM Lucknow.

We were given a caselet. It was about an Engineer who started his own company. This guy started the company in one corner of his house in New Delhi. The company was into manufacturing of ‘premium gift items’. In the initial days, all the products were produced under his direct supervision. He had many suppliers and mostly he was doing the final assembly at his place. Initially volumes were also less.

Slowly but steadily, his business picked up. He started getting huge orders. Then he decided to shift his company out of his garage and for that he acquired land at Gurgaon, which was cheaper than the land available at New Delhi. Most of the suppliers still remained in New Delhi, baring a few who decided to move along with him. He initially hired a few marketing guys to improve his sales. He then hired a manager to look after his Gurgaon plant.

In the initial days of Gurgaon plant, he used to visit it often but as he started more and more ventures, his direct supervision over the Gurgaon plant decreased. He passed on the full control to the manager. This manager guy then went on to introduce lot of best-in-class management practices like Performance Appraisal System, Accounting practices etc. Initial days of the plant went on smoothly and profitably.

But few months from there, the plant got itself immersed into a lot of problem. There were quality issues popping out from everywhere. Even though the order book was full, the workers never showed an enthusiasm to produce more and the plant was never able to meet the demand. Sales slowly started falling. Suppliers started complaining about credit defaults. There were hell lots of problem.

The owner was extremely worried about the condition of the plant and wanted to somehow find out the reason for this. So he asked for the help from a near by management school and the school readily accepted.

Questions:-

• You are a part of the team from the management school investigating on the Gurgaon Plant. What are your observations and possible problems?
• What further data collection you will do for submitting a complete report on the plant and how do you plan to acquire the additional data?

We were supposed write the answer for the above two questions in around 750words.

Time: 1hr.

My Take:-

I felt like this plant is having all sorts of problems that it can ever have. In spite of one’s background, he/she had something or the other, where he/she could put his/her mind to work.

NoeL

Hi Friends,

My IIM Lucknow, FPM interview experience will be posted shortly.
Other interview experiences, viz. Great Lakes, SPJIMR and SCMHRD are also in the making.

Do get back for more...

NoeL

Hi friends...

Today, 3rd May 2008, I am stepping on to the shoes of a writer! Blogger!!

For a long time, i was thinking of starting a BloG of my own. Also i always wanted to write about something.. Write about the things that come to my mind every now and then... Finally, i belive i am going to do that...

You will find posts here on following stuff!!

My Life! (The Past, The Present and The Future)
My Thoughts! (The things that will be going on through my mind... every now and then!!)
My Interests! (Weblinks, articles i stumble upon etc...!)
My Daily Activities..! (The ones i would like to share with you all...!)

Hmm... That is quite a lot... All these will appear here only if i post regularly!! For that i need inspiration... and it has to come from you all!! So keep posting comments!! :)

NoeL